The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Papaver plant, botanically known as Papaver orientale L., commercially referred to as Oriental Poppy, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Pink Ruffles.
The new Papaver is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rypwetering, The Netherlands. The new Papaver originated from a self-pollination made by the Inventor of the Papaver cultivar Garden Glory, not patented. The new Papaver was selected by the Inventor in 1996 from the resultant progeny on the basis of its compact plant size, floriferousness and vigor.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by cuttings taken at Rypwetering, The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Papaver are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Pink Ruffles have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, daylength, and fertility level without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Pink Rufflesxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Pink Rufflesxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and compact plant habit.
2. Dark green leaves.
3. Vigorous growth habit.
4. Freely flowering habit.
5. Pink petals with fringed margins.
Plants of the cultivar Pink Ruffles differ from plants of the parent cultivar, Garden Glory in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Papaver are more compact and shorter than plants of the cultivar Garden Glory.
2. Plants of the new Papaver have darker green and glossier leaves than plants of the cultivar Garden Glory.
3. Plants of the new Papaver are more vigorous than plants of the cultivar Garden Glory.
4. Plants of the new Papaver are more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Garden Glory.
5. Petals of the new Papaver have fringed margins whereas petals of the cultivar Garden Glory have entire margins.
Plants of the cultivar Pink Ruffles can be compared to plant of the cultivar Kleine Tanzerin. Plants of the cultivar Pink Ruffles differ from plants of the cultivar, Kleine Tanzerin in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Papaver are sturdier than plants of the cultivar Kleine Tanzerin.
2. Petals of plants of the new Papaver are more intense pink in color than petals of the cultivar Kleine Tanzerin.
3. Petals of the new Papaver have fringed margins whereas petals of the cultivar Kleine Tanzerin have entire margins.